When Premier League play returns after the break, West Ham United winger Said Benrahma will have a lot to prove. In October of 2020, Said Benrahma made his first move to West Ham, coming over on loan from Brentford. After a period of three months, David Moyes made the move permanent for a sum that was close to £26 million (Daily Mail).
There were reports that West Ham might trade the 28-year-old player in the summer to make place for Harvey Barnes. The move would have been made to create space for Barnes. In the end, Benrahma decided to remain with the Hammers, while Barnes went on to sign with Newcastle.
The Algerian has all the talent in the world, but he really has to start producing results if he wants to remain on the squad. The club already has Mohammed Kudus, so even if the Algerian has all the skill in the world, he really needs to start producing results. The Algerian international player is currently under a great deal of pressure to start generating regular results, or else he runs the risk of being taken off the team before he even realizes it.
Benny will face competition from Kudus in the hopes of earning a spot on the team. Although the Ghanaian has the ability to play on the left wing, his best positions are either in the middle or on the right. Moyes would not have paid £38 million on Kudus only to keep the bench warm.
Said Benrahma Has A Lot To Prove At West Ham
Benrahma will be responsible for making it difficult for the West Ham manager to decide whether or not to bench him. If the former winger for Brentford wants to keep his spot on the team, he needs to stop letting games pass without making his presence known nearly as much as he does now and start advocating for himself more frequently.
To put it another way, Benrahma needs to be more decisive in the final third of the game when he is shooting, crossing, or distributing. The 28-year-old player have the ability to dominate games all by himself with brilliant bursts of play, but he is now showing no signs of self-assurance, which is undoubtedly holding him back from making further strides in his career.
Listen, Said Benrahma is one of my favorite players on this West Ham team, and I have a great deal of respect for the contributions he makes. He will be the first to admit that, with the exception of the magnificent assist he provided for Jarrod Bowen away at Brighton, he has not been performing up to the standards required this season. However, he will be the first to admit that he has improved.
There is not much time left for the Algerian. In my opinion, we either act now or we never will. If at any point this season he is removed from the Hammers starting lineup, it is difficult for me to picture him playing any role other than that of an impact substitute for the squad.